N/A
N/A
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to doorway or passageway arches and a mold and method for making doorway arches, and more particularly, to a pre-fabricated plaster arch having exposed flanges that allow it to be easily installed in any doorway and a mold and method for making plaster arches that allows plaster arches to be completely made prior to installation.
2. Description of the Background Art
The construction of arches in doorways, or passageways, can be tedious, expensive and time-consuming work. In fact, this type of work invariably has to be done by a trained carpenter. The construction of arches typically involves cutting plywood and drywall into the desired semi-circle arched shape, making cross-members (usually from 2xc3x974 studs) for securely joining the plywood in a manner that corresponds to the thickness of the passageway wall, securing the plywood to the cross-members to form the framework, mounting the drywall to the plywood, attaching comer beads, taping all seams, and floating or filling the seams. Some pre-framed arches are known in the art, however, they are not complete. That is, they still require the use of plaster or stucco, drywall, tape, floating and comer beads, and can be difficult to install. There are no known devices, molds or methods that allow a plaster arch to be made before installation so that it only needs to be mounted to the comer of the passageway and made flush with the wall. A pre-fabricated plaster-based arch would help carpenters save time and customers save money and could be installed by non-professionals as well. Consequently, a device or method for simplifying the construction of passageway arches would be well received.
Several arch members and methods for making arches are known in the background art. However, none of these addresses or solves the above-noted problems associated with making and mounting arches. The patent references found fail to disclose important structural elements of the instant invention. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,782,147 discloses a metal arch member for openings comprising a box-like arcuate member that is mounted to a comer of a doorway for adhering plaster. U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,889 discloses a metal cove and bracket for producing an arcuate cove between a wall and ceiling. U.S. Pat. No. 2,344,279 discloses a plastering base comprising a pre-formed base strip for attachment to doorway studs and applying plaster. U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,929 discloses an arch member for openings comprising a support or base adapted to be covered with plaster. U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,273 discloses a hollow preformed arch and method of making the same comprising plasterboard panels and metal comer beads having a plurality of slits for gripping cement. The method generally comprises forming a curved panel by making a plurality of parallel kerf cuts therein, placing the panel over an arcuate form and applying plaster in the kerf cuts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,632 discloses a prefabricated full archway module having a pair of parallel upright panels extending between the floor and ceiling with internal braces and modules defining the upper portion of an archway. U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,917 discloses a unitary structure for a full arch-shaped passageway, which is adapted for drywall construction. The unitary structure includes a front panel, a rear panel and an arcuate panel portion therebetween. U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,138 discloses a prefabricated unitary body forming an archway including a comer bead and a recess therefor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,834 discloses a prefabricated arch form for use in constructing an archway wherein opposing sheet metal cheek are spaced apart by a curved throat to permit the cheeks to reside between the adjacent wall support and drywall and to fasten drywall. The foregoing art fails to disclose a prefabricated plaster arch or a mold, kit and/or method for making a prefabricated plaster arch as contemplated by the instant invention.
As the above noted art fails to provide a device or method that fills the foregoing gap in the prior art, there exists a need for a prefabricated plaster arch and mold, kit and method for making the same. The instant invention solves this problem by providing a prefabricated plaster arch that is installation ready, and a mold or kit and method for making plaster arches.
Based on the foregoing, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a prefabricated plaster arch or semi-arch that is installation ready.
It is an additional object of the instant invention to provide a prefabricated plaster arch or semi-arch that is easy to install and inexpensive.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a prefabricated plaster arch or semi-arch that can be installed with common fasteners and only requires that the gap between the arch and wall be covered.
It is also an object of the instant invention to provide a mold that facilitates the making of plaster arches or semi-arches.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a method for making plaster arches or semi-arches.
In light of these and other objects, the instant invention comprises a prefabricated plaster arch or semi-arch ready for installation in the corner of a passageway, and a mold, kit and method for making a plaster arch. The plaster arch generally comprises two substantially perpendicular leg portions that meet at a common end, a concave arcuate surface between the two free ends of the leg portions and securing tabs extending outward from each leg. The leg portions form a right angle so that the arch fits within the comer of an opening, passageway or any wall and upper horizontal surface, such as a ceiling. The securing tabs are adaptable for securely receiving and/or passing conventional fasteners, such as screws, nails and anchors, that attach the tabs, and hence the arch, to the horizontal ceiling-like surface and vertical wall-like surface forming the opening. A full arch is formed by placing a prefabricated arch in opposing corners. The width of the arch corresponds to the width of the wall, but can vary. The length of the legs can vary to accommodate the desired look of the arch or arches and can be based on the size of the mold. The plaster arch can also include arcuate corner beads set in the plaster. The arcuate corner beads have slits at predetermined distances, such as an inch, to facilitate easy bending and shaping. The securing tabs may be defined by and project out from a securing clamp that provides a surface for the fill to adhere or grip to. The securing clamp is set in the fill and also includes a plaster retaining surface, locking tabs and/or additional reinforcement members extending therefrom plaster to improve the structural integrity of the arch and to prevent removal of the securing clamps and tabs.
The invention also comprises a mold, kit and method for making pre-fabricated doorway arches. The mold generally comprises a main mold body formed by a box-like structure having a bottom panel, at least two substantially perpendicular and removable side panels and one concave and arcuate panel bridging the side panels and defining a chamber therebetween and therein for filling with plaster or plaster-like material. The mold may also include a second set of substantially perpendicular and removable side panels opposing the first set of side panels and a second concave and arcuate panel joining the second set of side panels. The second set of side panels and second arcuate panel define a chamber therebetween and therein such that the mold forms a second arch when the second chamber is filled with plaster or a plaster-like material. The mold of the instant invention can therefore form up to two substantially uniform plaster arches by setting the securing tabs in the voids and filling the chambers with plaster, paste, concrete, stucco, liquid plastic, joint compound or other suitable filler. The side panels are preferably removable from the main body to facilitate convenient removal of the arches once they have set. The side panels may slide within tracks formed in the bottom panel. The mold body also makes it convenient to uniformly and evenly remove excess filler from the chamber(s) with a trowel blade and to set an arcuate corner bead in the fill.
The kit of the invention includes the mold main body, at least two securing tabs and a filler mix for filling the chamber(s). The kit may further include at least one pair of corner beads having slits cut therein for facilitating easy shaping. The main body comprises at least one set of side panels and at least one arcuate panel, but preferably includes two sets of side panels and two arcuate panels. The side panels are preferably removable. The main body may also include a removable top for accessing the chamber(s) when filling and covering the chamber(s) when the fill is setting and curing. The mold and kit may also include a retaining strap for holding the side panels in place.
The method of making prefabricated plaster arches generally comprise setting up the mold, filling at least one chamber in the mold with a suitable fill, leveling the fill, allowing the fill to set, removing the side panels and removing the arch or arches from the mold. The mold is set up by securely installing or mounting the side panels, setting the arcuate panels if not already fixed to the bottom panel, and setting and orienting the securing clamps in the chambers adjacent the side panels. The arches are then made by filling the chamber or chambers with a suitable fill, leveling the fill with a trowel or other suitable instrument, allowing the fill to set and cure, removing the side panels and removing the arch or arches once the fill has set or cured. The method may also include securing a strap around the outside of the mold to secure the side panels and/or placing a first corner bead along the bottom of the arcuate panel before filling and placing a second comer bead along the top of the arcuate panel after filling the chamber or chambers. The method of the invention may further include installation of at least one arch or two arches, which comprises the steps of aligning the plaster arch in the desired corner of the desired opening, passing or forcing at least one fastener through each securing tab into the corresponding wall surface behind the securing tab, filling or concealing the seams between the arch and wall/ceiling surface with a joint compound, sanding or texturing the surface smooth and painting the arch.
In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.